Thread: Morning Workouts vs Evening Workouts

When it all comes down to it, deciding to workout in the early morning or late evening comes down to plain personal preference. While mornings work better for your personality and lifestyle, it won’t work for everyone.But before we get into the pros and cons, ask yourself these questions.•Are you generally more productive in the mornings or evenings?•What does your work schedule tell you to do?•What time of the day does your family need you the most?•Do you tend to talk yourself out of working out during the day?•Does waking up early and working out knock you out for the rest of the day?The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Answering these questions honestly will help decide what time of the day is best for you.Morning Workouts: Pros & Cons+ Makes you feel like you got up and brought it early on. You have the rest of the day to relax and recover. + The food you eat during the day is recovery food. + According to your body mechanics and metabolism, mornings are best for burning calories.- You have to wake up early. Not a big deal to some people, huge deal to others. - Leaves you less time for pre-workout food and supplements. -Working out can make you feel tired afterwards, leaving you little energy to do a physically demanding job from 9-5pm.Night Workouts: Pros & Cons+ You have the entire day to prepare, energize, focus and use supplements. + You can sleep in a little later and have time to prepare a good breakfast. + The gym may (or may not) be less busy at night, which means no waiting around. + You get to go to sleep soon after your workout, which is the best form of recovery.- Your work day may tire you out or you might talk yourself out of going to the gym to hang out with friends or just to relax. - You might find it difficult to fall asleep after working out because your body feels too awake. - Leaves you little time to eat recovery foods.There are all kinds of other scenarios that are important factors to consider. For example, if you are commuting to work every day and your gym is just a few blocks away from your office, it may work out really well to arrive to the gym early in the morning before AM rush hour. Then you only have to fight traffic once a day rather than twice a day. On the other hand, it may work out better for you to work out as soon as you get off of work, saving you from fighting PM rush hour.Whether you decide to workout in the mornings or the evenings is your personal call. The best advice that can be given in regards to working out in the morning vs the evening is to do whatever will help you get to the gym the most often.by Devin Harper

It depends for me, we have a rotating schedule at the firehouse, and the 8:30 am doesn't give me enough time. I prefer between 10-3 start, but that's just me